Search is one of the important elements on your site. How customers find products, information and support can affect how long they stay on your site and determine whether or not they come back again. Having proper search placement, parameters and results will help your customers find what they are looking for quickly and with ease, ensuring the best possible user experience, and setting your site up for long-term success. With over a decade of building websites, our user experience architects sat down for a little Q&A regarding smart site search. Q: What is the best placement for search on your site? A: We usually recommend placing the search box at the top of every page of the site because this is where users are used to seeing it. This way, it’s easy to spot and makes it convenient for users. We also recommend giving the search form its own real estate – keeping it away from other forms to make it stand out more. Q: What kind of instructions should be included with a search? A: The point of search is to make it easy for users to find what they need. So if you have a search form, include default text that instructs users on how to search. For example, your search field may say something like “Search by Part number”, “Search by keyword” or “Enter product”. Q: How can you anticipate the user’s needs with search? A: Site search can be really intuitive. If, for example, a user starts typing a search term, site owners can enable auto-complete options so users don’t have to type the entire word or phrase. Also, simple things like allowing users to search by hitting enter on their keyboard (as opposed to having to click the “search” or “go” button) can help to enhance the experience. Q: How can I improve search if I already have one on my site? A: Studying user behavior is key to improving site search. Use analytics to find out what terms users are searching for and what information is most requested, then tailor search accordingly. Also, if your search results show “no results” pages, use those as opportunities for suggestive selling or additional guidance, such as “Did you mean?” or “Need help finding…contact one of our representatives”. Q: How can I personalize site search? A: Customization is important when it comes to filtering information for each unique end-user. Enabling search history, letting users choose how many search results they see per page and showing search suggestions are all ways to tailoring the experience. Site search can greatly benefit your site in both the short and long term, but if there’s one key takeaway, it’s to let your users tell you what they want. Once they do, listen and refine accordingly. For more information on website search best practices, or to define a search strategy for your site, contact us at 888-309-3292.Search is one of the important elements on your site. How customers find products, information and support can affect how long they stay on your site and determine whether or not they come back again. Having proper search placement, parameters and results will help your customers find what they are looking for quickly and with ease, ensuring the best possible user experience, and setting your site up for long-term success. With over a decade of building websites, our user experience architects sat down for a little Q&A regarding smart site search. Q: What is the best placement for search on your site? A: We usually recommend placing the search box at the top of every page of the site because this is where users are used to seeing it. This way, it’s easy to spot and makes it convenient for users. We also recommend giving the search form its own real estate – keeping it away from other forms to make it stand out more. Q: What kind of instructions should be included with a search? A: The point of search is to make it easy for users to find what they need. So if you have a search form, include default text that instructs users on how to search. For example, your search field may say something like “Search by Part number”, “Search by keyword” or “Enter product”. Q: How can you anticipate the user’s needs with search? A: Site search can be really intuitive. If, for example, a user starts typing a search term, site owners can enable auto-complete options so users don’t have to type the entire word or phrase. Also, simple things like allowing users to search by hitting enter on their keyboard (as opposed to having to click the “search” or “go” button) can help to enhance the experience. Q: How can I improve search if I already have one on my site? A: Studying user behavior is key to improving site search. Use analytics to find out what terms users are searching for and what information is most requested, then tailor search accordingly. Also, if your search results show “no results” pages, use those as opportunities for suggestive selling or additional guidance, such as “Did you mean?” or “Need help finding…contact one of our representatives”. Q: How can I personalize site search? A: Customization is important when it comes to filtering information for each unique end-user. Enabling search history, letting users choose how many search results they see per page and showing search suggestions are all ways to tailoring the experience. Site search can greatly benefit your site in both the short and long term, but if there’s one key takeaway, it’s to let your users tell you what they want. Once they do, listen and refine accordingly. For more information on website search best practices, or to define a search strategy for your site, contact us at 888-309-3292.